The Sport of Kings; Bliss Polo Club draws area crowds on Sundays

Saturday

Jul 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM

In its fourth year of hosting tournament competition, it's no wonder the Bliss Polo Club is drawing large Sunday crowds in the idyllic countryside just off the shores of Lake Michigan during its July and August matches.

Mary Barker Staff Writer, @mbarkerCDT @mbarkerCDT

In its fourth year of hosting tournament competition, it's no wonder the Bliss Polo Club is drawing large Sunday crowds in the idyllic countryside just off the shores of Lake Michigan during its July and August matches.The setting is simply charming in the rolling fields where Mason Lampton, of Columbus, Ga., purchased about 30 acres, near the intersection of Sturgeon Valley Trail and Pleasant View Road in Emmet County, and established Bliss Polo Club. There are two and a half fields; fields measure 300 feet long by 160 feet wide.The thoroughbreds wow the audience with their grace and power. The skills of professional riders are stunning at speeds hitting 30-35 miles per hour while battling to swing a wooden mallet weighing between 9 and 12 pounds at a ball on the ground. The mallets, are made of a cane called Manau. It can take three years to make a mallet in a process that has it cut and dried, boiled in diesel fuel and then dried for another two years. The most important piece of equipment, other than the horse, mallets run between $100 and $300.Lampton, owner and club patron, was born in Louisville, Ky., and has always been around horses. He is a summer resident of Harbor Springs and an avid polo and fox hunting enthusiast.Polo Baez, Lampton's general manager and an accomplished professional polo rider, said thoroughbreds love the cooler climate. He said the majority of polo horses were once race horses, whose four- or five- year, short-lived racing careers have ended. Clubs purchase them from top tracks all over the country."We try to rehabilitate race horses. They have a very short life as race horses. … We turn them into polo horses. They can play polo up to 20 years. When they get too old and can't move as fast, we move them to a slower-paced polo."These are considered the super athletes in the horse world. Polo horses are the strongest and toughest," said Polo, who added he has done every type of competition that exists in the "horse world," not to mention bull-riding."The adrenaline of playing polo compares to bull riding." Polo, who was born in Mexico and grew up on a horse farm, has broke both of his shoulders in the past five years competing in polo matches. He has been playing the sport for 30 years."I want people who are coming to watch to know that this is a tough, rough sport. People can get hurt. We have fatalities in this sport. We have had very bad luck here. We have lost two horses to heart attacks in Bliss. In the 30 years, I've been doing this, I can count on one hand the number of heart attacks; two times in four years is very weird."Baez said polo is most popular in the southern states, with Palm Beach, Fla., being the polo "mecca" from November-April. Baez spends time a lot of time with polo clubs as Lampton's general manger in Georgia, Northern Alabama and Florida, but particularly looks forward to returning every summer to Bliss. It is not uncommon for polo clubs to head to northern states in the summer months, "running from the heat."Baez said polo is the oldest team sport in the world. The first recorded polo tournament was 600 B.C. When the Turkomans beat the Persians, according to information at www.sportpolo.com. The Persian and Mogul conquerers of India, it is reported, spread the game of polo across the Eastern world.In 1902, the U.S. Army joined the United States Polo Association and encouraged its calvary units to participate in the sport in order to improve their riding abilities. Played worldwide, Argentina is considered at the top of the list for polo enthusiasts.Polo emphasized that much care is taken with the horses. Before competition their legs are wrapped for protection between the knee and the hoof and their tails are braided so that the mallet doesn't get caught in it. After a certain period of play, the horses get relief with a water spray down and substitutions are common to keep the horses fresh. Horses get days of rest and personal attention in between matches, said Polo. Protective equipment for riders includes boots, knee pads, helmets and eye covers.The United States Polo Federation, (USPF), is the governing entity overseeing polo club play, providing officials, setting rules and handicaps and keeping clubs in check. All clubs pay a fee to the USPF. Every club has a manager, trainer, groomer and professional riders. The owner is referred to as "club patron." The sport is played for the competition and status it carries; photos, trophies and doing something they love are the rewards, said Polo. Polo said he spends a certain amount of time training young people how to play. Those who come with riding experience have already overcome the biggest barrier. It can take three years or more to become a skilled player. Local resident, Ashley Darrow, 23, who was born and raised in near Carp Lake and graduated from Mackinaw City, said she is extremely fortunate to have met Lampton through mutual friends. She grew up with horses and is now in her third year employed by him full-time training and caring for young polo horses. She also is training to become a polo player."I love playing polo. I am so thankful to work with Mason and to play with these experienced polo players all the time," said Darrow.She travels widely with Polo and the competitive clubs. She is headquartered in Columbus, Ga., where Lampton lives. In addition to polo, she said she has learned to appreciate the sport of fox hunting and has accompanied Lampton and his forty-plus hounds on several outings.The Bliss Polo Club has grown each of the past four years, with more clubs traveling the distance to compete in the gorgeous setting every year. And the onlookers are growing too, with crowds up to 400 on any given Sunday relaxing in summer chairs along the sidelines.Polo said the club is working with local officials in Bliss to host a charity game on a regular basis. A small entry fee would be charged for a game and all proceeds would be given to the nonprofit charity. He said the club hopes to raise money for the Bliss Fire Department to purchase needed equipment. Polo said Lampton's clubs in the South are very involved in community charity fundraising activities.Tournament play is every Sunday at 3 p.m, unless inclement weather forces cancellation. Entry is free. The week of August 2 – 11 is the Bliss Polo Club's Centennial Cup Tournament. To check on the club's schedule, visit the Bliss Polo Club on Facebook or call The Bliss Store at 231 537-4411.

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